


I'll try all I can to find a soft place to land

by EvancexLizzie



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, Guilt, M/M, Post-chapters 12 events, Rated T for Mild language and just... Reno, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Slight fluff, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24250897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvancexLizzie/pseuds/EvancexLizzie
Summary: It had been long since Rude had seen Reno this badly injured. A miracle considering how the hotheaded TURK normally behaved in close-combat, driven by both pleasure and duty. A miracle Rude was happy to see repeated so often.“I didn’t think you’d care that much for those people’s lives.” Rude still points out.“Hey, ‘m not a heartless bitch, yo!” Reno tries to argue, looking genuinely offended. Rude gives him a pointed look behind his sunglasses. “Well, don’t say I’m heartless at least!”
Relationships: Reno/Rude (Compilation of FFVII)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 70





	I'll try all I can to find a soft place to land

**Author's Note:**

> I finished FF7R in April and immediately started to write this lmfao I've become rly obsessed w Reno/Rude and TURKS in general over the past month. They're amazing.
> 
> This has been beta-read twice by the sweet iggysassou THANK YOU SO MUCH girl for putting w my English mistake and too-long sentences. 
> 
> This work is also a gift to the two girls that are as deep in the fandom as i am: Lys and Annie. Enjoy!

It’s been a long day, Rude thinks, exhausted, disheveled and injured, as he finally lights the cigarette he’s been craving since they left Sector 7. He had lost track of time after that, wounded and stunned as he was. 

***

The memories are vague and distorted. He remembers taking an unconscious and severely beaten up Reno on his shoulders, walking as fast as possible towards the helicopter sent to retrieve them. He remembers dropping his inanimate partner inside, taking care of not hurting him more than he already was, before everything went black.

When Rude had woken up, he had found himself lying down on a bed, staring at a dirty white ceiling. He had immediately recognized the too familiar infirmary set up inside Shinra Tower. 

It was another few minutes before he was back to full consciousness then he sat up on the bed to look around the room, the movement painfully stirring his muscles. Fresh bandages were wrapped around his forearms and his head, his dark suit had been taken away, replaced by an ugly greenish hospital blouse, making him feel naked and miserable. The fact that his sunglasses were missing only accentuated the dreadful feeling of bareness and vulnerability.

He hated being wounded for those very reasons.

After a moment, Rude had turned his head towards the bed on his right to where Reno was lying down peacefully. Considering the critical state of his partner and the extent of his injuries, Rude reconsidered his thoughts and found himself rather lucky. The fight against the terrorists had left the other man in the worst shape. If Rude was getting away with it with only cuts and bruises, Reno certainly had at least a few broken bones.

Of course, Reno had also been dressed up in the hideous greenish cloth whose color contrasted vividly with the white bandages wrapped around the upper part of his torso, his arms, and his forehead. From where he sat, Rude could also see the small yet distinct red and violet bruises scattering the redhead's face, and he sighed as he thought of how unbearable the man was going to be, complaining about his "pretty face bein' ruined". 

Still, relief spread through his bones and skin at seeing Reno alive and resting quietly. He felt a weight he hadn’t realized he was bearing being lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to breathe more easily. 

Considering the brutal fight and the deafening explosion they escaped from, they were truly lucky to be alive. Reno had suffered a lot during the combat, still refusing to give up even where it was clear he couldn’t stand up anymore, taking pride in fulfilling his job even if it meant giving up his life on the spot. 

It had been long since Rude had seen Reno this badly injured. A miracle considering how the hotheaded TURK normally behaved in close-combat, driven by both pleasure and duty. A miracle Rude was happy to see repeated so often.

Eventually, Rude had decided to get up. He had gone to the shelves on the other side of the room to look for his belongings where he had found a new pair of sunglasses and a dirtied cigarette pack on the shelf near the entrance. It felt like a "welcome back to the livings” gift from Tseng, and Rude was infinitely grateful for it. 

Taking advantage of the nurse’s temporary absence, he had escaped the room, not that the nurse could have stopped him from escaping the rock hard mattress, but it felt more natural to sneak out, and he had found his way to the nearest balcony. 

Walking did hurt a little but it was nothing he couldn't bear for the sake of nicotine, the painful need being a good reminder of this stupid addiction. 

***

Returning to the present, Rude takes another drag from his cigarette, relishing in the toxic product that enters his lungs and allows him to relax. As bad it is for him, a cigarette certainly isn’t the deadliest thing he has faced this week alone. Closing his eyes, he lets his mind go back to the events from the previous night as he watches the sun slowly rise on a silent yet shaken up Midgar.

He’s relieved the balcony he chose doesn’t overlook what’s left of the obliterated Sector 7. He’ll find out soon enough what atrocities were caused by the fall of the plate on the slums and how many people he killed by pushing that small, shiny red button on the tower.

But he can’t let himself dwell for now, he thinks while exhaling the nasty smoke. For now, he indulges himself. He wipes his mind clean of all the tarnishing thoughts and quietly enjoys the fact that they made it out  _ alive _ , once again.

***

When he gets back to the infirmary, Reno still hasn't woken up. 

Rude unilaterally decides that he's in good condition enough as to not come back into the bed. The hard mattress will end up hurting his back more than actually helping him heal anyway. He manages to find his phone, which is miraculously in better shape than his owner, on another shelf and notices a pile of fresh clothes not far away from it. After mentally thanking Tseng again, he blissfully abandons the horrible medical blouse that was starting to itch and puts the dark pair of pants and black shirt on. 

The sensation of the fresh, refined clothes on his skin instantly makes him feel warmer and he can’t wait to slip into his perfectly tailored raven suit again. Rude doesn’t doubt for one second that Tseng has already prepared said outfit for when he would finally leave the infirmary. In spite of his expressionless features and general absence of emotional response to absolutely every subject, Tseng cares for his two subordinates and shows it in a much more practical way with considerate gestures. Neither Rude or Reno would like to have it another way. Free shirts and cigarette packets do a better job at comfort than shitty emotional support.

Grabbing the nearest chair, Rude heavily sits down next to Reno’s bed. Seeing him up close, he can’t help but carefully brush away the colored bangs from his contrasting lily-white, porcelain face. He thinks about how unusually pure Reno has always looked in his sleep, how  _ innocent _ and  _ vulnerable _ . 

He looks like a small, pale young boy when he’s stripped of his bad mouth, his ostentatious clothing and his electric rod; robbed of his characteristic liveliness; stripped of every aspect of the personality he built to earn respect and fear.

Delicately, Rude strokes his bruised cheek, just above the new band-aid that covers his skin from his jawline to his cheekbone but he reluctantly retracts his fingers in fear of waking up the younger man.

The bald man decides then that it might finally be time to face the consequence of thei- of  _ his _ actions as he unlocks his phone and, after a beat, decides to go for the news feed on SHINRA’s news application. 

As expected, the feed is entirely filled with news concerning what already appears to be considered “a terrorist’s attack”.

“ _ A presumed terrorist attack caused the death of thousands _ ”, “ _ The fall of the plate offers a ghastly sight of Sector 7 _ ”, “ _ See the communication of the President Shinra following the tragic incident that may involve the terrorist organization AVALANCHE _ "...

There are pictures too, dreadful images showing the aftermaths of the plate’s collapse, the smashed buildings, and the barely recognizable Sector 7 that is presently nothing more than a huge pile of dirt and fragments.

The presumed responsibility of AVALANCHE in the accident is at the heart of every discussion, led by numerous interventions of SHINRA Head of Public Safety, Heidegger. Rude has never appreciated the man but he concedes without a doubt that he makes a far more talented actor than Reno or him.

Rude scrolls with his thumb without any real intent, abruptly confronted with the actual mess they caused but aren't blamed for. After a few minutes of going through what feels like an endless feed of the same horrendous depictions and fake news, he turns off his phone, his gaze transfixed on the darkened screen.

Alone as he is, he doesn't prevent a sigh from escaping him, the sound modest in appearance but bearing heavily contradicting feelings. He allows himself to breathe away the burden of all the atrocities he just saw, atrocities he's responsible for. 

Closing his eyes, all he can see are those detailed and shamelessly displayed images of lifeless bodies hanging to smashed buildings. That morbid exhibit, everything an orchestrated show-off to frame the terrorists as the culprits, to have the public opinion resent them and demand for their demise.

Meanwhile, the one who pushed the button is right here, sat in a chair far away from this racket, in a calm and- 

"What a face, yo!" 

The world rushes back brutally as the too familiar, hoarse voice breaks the silence of the infirmary.

Rude had almost forgotten he wasn’t alone because quiet moments in his life have become rare indeed. Quiet moments have become lonely moments, he realized recently while sitting alone at home with no Reno to bother him. 

That night, Rude had realized how much he missed his constant and unnecessary remarks, his complaints, his constant demands and the gossip Reno updates him on the moment he walks in his apartment. What had once been the only place where he could be alone has started to feel strangely too vast when his partner isn’t sharing the couch, the bed, the shower, the air, and the ill-functioning toaster.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Rude’s gaze focuses back on his partner who’s already attempting to move his bruised body. Nice to see that the hard beating he got didn’t affect his restlessness. 

" ’Hope ya ain’t pullin’ this face because of what I look like, I - argh"

Reno winces in pain, a small whine escaping his unusual pale lips. He’s trying to lean on his forearms to push his body a little and sit properly on the bed, paying no heed to the fact that both his wrists have badly suffered from the fight and are in no shape to support his weight. 

But Reno despises looking powerless, despises having people look down at him, despises appearing _ weak _ .

Rude doesn’t say anything, nor does he move to help him. Ramuh forbids he should even attempt to. Reno would immediately reject him and throw him out for acting in such a degrading way.

He doesn’t bother reassuring Reno about his looks either. 

Firstly because Reno doesn’t  _ not _ feel confident about his looks. He just hates losing and being injured means wearing the face of a man who was defeated, nothing more.

Secondly because, from experience, the redhead is going to complain about his smashed face for days and there’s no amount of compliment that can help ease it -not that Rude would fall for it anyway. The last time he had tried giving the other man a compliment, it hadn’t exactly been successful.  _ “You still look good,”  _ he had said, trying his best to sound casual about it because Reno seemed pretty affected by his injuries, pouting and frowning all day long. The answer had been highly unexpected, as there had been none. Reno had just looked at him from the other side of the room, visibly a little taken by surprise, nodded, and walked away.

Rude had been thrown off by the reaction. He still doesn’t understand it. But he also hadn’t expect Reno to recover quickly from his sulking period and  _ brag _ about this compliment to everyone -including Tseng, who certainly didn’t wish to hear about that- and even rub it in Rude’s face whenever he refused to compliment him as he knew it would do nothing to help with his already gigantic ego.

But whatever bruises and injuries Reno would suffer, Rude would still find him beautiful and fierce beyond words. That didn’t mean Reno needed to know about that.

"That ain't fair, yo." Reno grumbles after a few seconds of staring at Rude’s face and body, who still hasn’t pronounced a word. "Ya look pr’ty fine for someone whose ass’s ‘so been beaten up by those donkeys. Why amma the one stuck up in a fuckin' bed lookin’ like a damn rotten mummy?”

"You got outside the helicopter first." Rude answers simply. He knows Reno would never wish for him to get hurt, but he takes pride in being the one in the roughest state and the only one currently bedridden. 

But then again, Reno’s always been the reckless one.

"Yeah well ya fuckin' crashed in this useless piece of metal and still look like you comin’ back from holidays at Costa del Sol!”

Rude doesn’t bother mentioning that he was lying in a bed next to Reno’s minutes before he woke up. It’s a fact that his injuries are almost nothing compared to the blow Reno took.

An uncharacteristic silence falls between them as Rude scrutinizes Reno’s deeply annoyed expression. Well, silence in itself between the two of them isn’t uncharacteristic, as Rude doesn’t answer most of Reno’s remarks. However, the redhead is unexpectedly silent and self-possessed, staring at the wall in front of him, a significant frown between his eyebrows and his lips drawing a thin, displeased line.

Rude can see a myriad of conflicted emotions pass on that too readable face as he’s certainly trying to remember what  _ exactly _ happened _. _

After a short moment, the younger TURK speaks again. 

“Anyway, how dida end up here? ‘Don’t remember much,” he asks, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible but doing a poor job in Rude’s opinion. He has lifted his arms so his hands could come to rest between his pillow and his head, the movement making him wince in pain.

He’s nervously waiting for an answer to a question he’s too unwilling to ask.

"You passed out after being beaten up by the 1st Class." Rude doesn't know if he should explain what happened afterward, but Reno gives him a sharp look through his half-lidded eyes. "I carried you to a helicopter waiting for us." 

"Nice of them to send another one," Reno says, amused and back to himself for less than a second, and Rude can only share the amusement. 

Their SHINRA helicopter had suffered a regrettable fate and they were trapped at the top of the fort. Tseng must have been the one who ordered to rescue them because the powerful electric company wouldn't have bothered otherwise. 

Once again, Tseng would always have their backs.

"So, huh,” Reno speaks again, relief audible in his voice but still somehow hesitant to show it, " 'Guess we didn’t manage to hit the fuckin' button afta all.” He's breathing normally again, his lips lifting upwards in a lazy, usual smile he can’t suppress. 

Rude’s heart constricts in a strange, unknown and painful way. For once, he regrets his habit to say little and get away with it. He regrets the usual shortness of his answers that doesn’t make his partner push for more because he trusts the conciseness and the truthfulness of his words.

“ 'Hope Tseng ain’t too disappointed in us damn." Reno's putting on his best show, faking a heavy sigh and making more of those extravagant gestures, though he’s fully aware Rude doesn't buy any of it. He certainly thinks it amuses him. It would have, had circumstances been different. "A true shame though, I was lookin’ towards that extra pay-”

“I pressed the button.” Rude interrupts him before it becomes too painful to hear and watch. He looks at him through his sunglasses, faces him while dropping the bomb, his fingers linked and arms resting on his legs. “Sector 7 no longer exists.”

As expected, the atmosphere shifts immediately, turning cold and bleak. 

Reno's smile disappears instantly, realization hitting him like thunder. His mouth falls open for a few seconds, seconds where he doesn't put on a show, where he lets Rude see his astonishment, his sadness, his anger - the myriad of emotions a professional can't usually display whereas a human being can.

Rude knows the temperature in the room hasn’t dropped but it feels as if it has. He realizes how Reno’s caustic, playful smile acts as a ray of sunshine, warming him even in the darkest moments. He realizes how much he needs the humor and sardonic tone and couldn’t bring himself to not have it for a few moments before it all came to _ this _ .

Reno is a sun, flamboyant hair and warming presence and his partner has no choice but to have his life revolve around him, inevitably attracted by the dazzling light emanating from a man who talks too much and is too gorgeous for his own good.

But a troubled and displeased Reno only feels like a sun setting down in a hast, giving way to a frightful and chilly night of incertitudes.

There’s a long, uncomfortable silence while Reno seemingly battles with himself as to which reaction he should have, which emotion he should feel, which words should come out of that babbling mouth first. 

The redhead clenches his fists, gripping the bed sheets tightly and turns his eyes away to stare at the blankets, frustration apparent in his features and movements.

"Why didja do that ?" Rude's eyebrows twitch in confusion at the question that sounds like an accusation. "I shoulda been the one who pushed the damn button, not you, yo! We agreed to this!"

Rude remembers it damn too well. He remembers Reno insisting that Rude should stay in the helicopter while he should be the one to do the "dirty work". 

He remembers Reno saying half-jokingly that he couldn't wait to make the fucking 1st Class Soldier beat the dust after what the latter had done to them both, that he couldn’t wait to get his hands on new -certainly extravagant- clothes once he would get his extra paycheck for having blown up an entire sector. 

But he also remembers the Reno from just before all of this -  _ before he planned all of his act _ -, as they were on their way to the mission, pouting and expressing his doubts to his partner without holding any of it. 

_ “This is bullshit. What the hell are they thinkin’?” _

"It doesn't matter who pressed it." Rude answers flatly after a beat. "We're partners. If I managed to push it, it's thanks to you.” 

It doesn’t matter if Reno didn't push the button at the end. It shouldn’t matter.

Yet, since he woke up, Rude strangely thinks that it does.

Reno grunts absentmindedly, raising his head a little to stare at the blank wall, still refusing to give Rude a look. The bald man knows he's missing something here. 

He had thought Reno was feeling down about the fact that he’s been defeated by the 1st class Soldier for the second time in a row, ending up with even worst injuries this time and thinking he’s failed his part of the mission. In spite of his careless attitude, Reno has always taken a great deal of pride in doing well at his job, being successful and efficient about it.

But he’s starting to think it’s something else and if it isn't about Reno worrying for his lack of professionalism, then what could it be about?

Reno had clearly stated he didn’t want to execute the mission, yet at the moment he realized he had no choice, he considered it his sole duty to be the one handling the code and pressing the button. He never let Rude have a word about it, which was odd considering they’ve been partners and equals for years, never mind the fact that Reno is theoretically Rude’s superior.

“‘And, huh,” says Reno after having likely gathered his thoughts, taking a side-look at him. “ ‘re you alright, partner?”

It’s soft, so strangely soft and dissimilar from the precedent outburst that Rude could have almost missed it, hadn’t he spent the last minutes scrutinizing Reno’s face and body language.

After all those years of partnerships, Reno is still a mystery.

“I’m fine.” Rude is used to the ‘ _ could you please elaborate at least a little, yo? _ ’ look Reno is giving him each time he answers this shortly. He never gets tired of it. Subconsciously, he’s been searching for it. “I’ve only suffered minor injuries, no broken bones or-” his eyes perk towards Reno’s wrists. “Pulled muscles.”

Once again, the answer doesn’t seem satisfying enough for the younger man who only nods slightly, frustration still plastered all over his face. 

Eventually, he lets a heavy, far too heavy, sigh, the one he’s seemingly been holding since he woke up, a displeased look shadowing his bruised features.

"Did ya think that was the right thing to do?" Reno asks. He sounds serious, unusual for him and he doesn’t bother hiding what he thinks about his own question, distaste emanating from every fiber of his being.

There’s no need for Rude to ask about what he is talking about. 

"I don't have any thoughts on it, partner. It was just our job.” He shrugs, and he finds the gesture unexpectedly easy to do. They’d already discussed the topic on the helicopter anyway. “We just followed the protocol.”

Truth be told, Rude isn’t sure it was the right thing to do either. He wants to ask Tseng about it. But he doesn’t want Reno to worry about that right now. He doesn’t want Reno to know about those misplaced and contradictory feelings he’s had since the night before.

Guilt isn’t a feeling Rude’s too familiar with, otherwise, he would have given up on being a TURK a long time ago, so he doesn’t quite understand the uneasiness he feels, prickling his skin and preventing him from wiping the ghastly memories from his mind.

He's seen his fair share of tragic, unfair situations. He wouldn't say he never felt bothered by it, but he always managed to think it through and consider it as a part of his job, nothing more.

But here, suddenly, it feels different. Putting on an act isn’t something he is used to, he thinks. Rude likes honesty and straightforwardness, even though he's always worked in the shadows, doing the dirty work. Being a TURK already comes with its fair share of contradictions. 

Maybe it wouldn't bother him that much if people at least knew the truth and blamed the right person on this one.

"The protocol, huh.” Reno sighs, unconvinced. After a time, he shrugs. “Yeah, you're right." It still sounds doubtful, but somehow more detached. "Still, kinda feels like we killed a hella innocent people this time."

_ We've already killed hundreds of innocent _ , Rude thinks but he doesn't voice it because there's no good in doing so. They've been going at it for six years and Rude knows that Reno's loyalty will stay fierce and intact. 

Still, it doesn’t prevent him from voicing out his worries and doubts when his conscience grows heavy and guilt spreads through his bones.

Rude has known him long enough to know that. To know that Reno is fundamentally human, more human than most would think and more human than most are.

“I didn’t think you’d care that much for those people’s lives.” Rude still points out.

“Hey, ‘m not a heartless bitch, yo!” Reno tries to argue, looking genuinely offended. Rude gives him a pointed look behind his sunglasses. “Well, don’t say I’m heartless at least!”

There’s the hint of a smile poking Rude’s lips, looking at Reno’s furrowed eyebrows and pout as he unhappily grumbles about how Rude is the insensitive one here. He does love teasing Reno and having him fall for it every time, even after all those years. It’s good to hear the light-hearted, chattering, normal Reno.

“Anyway, such a pain in th’ass.” Reno grunts, casually poking at the different bandages to see which part of his body hurts the most. He’s probably evaluating how much time the wounds are going to need to heal. Or he’s just being moronic, which is frankly a very plausible option. “Can ya believe I gonna have to wait for fuckin’ days ‘til I can have ya fuckin’ dick shoved into my-”

“ _ Reno _ ,” Rude interrupts him. 

How in the world have they changed subjects so quickly and why are they talking about  _ this? _

“Yeah yeah, know the rules, no talkin’ ‘bout  _ sexual intercourse _ ,” Reno mimics the quotation marks, a devilish smirk on his lips. The gesture, as well as the weirdness of having such elaborate words coming out of a mouth used to slurs and slangs, makes Rude’s lips slightly, almost imperceptibly curve upwards as he watches the man in disbelief. Looks like the tables have turned on who is teasing who here. “When we ain’t in private.” 

Reno doesn’t wait for an answer before speaking again, his arms crossed against his chest.

“Great, gonna be stuck up here gettin’ fuckin’ bored and can’t even talk ‘bout the fun stuff I can’t do. You no fun, partner. Ya know exceptions exist for a reason and ya cou’ make one for me here.” He throws one of his arms dramatically in the air as if the matter was of utmost importance. "How am I even supposed to jerk off with a sprained wrist, yo! Shou’d be considered as fuckin’  _ torture. _ " 

Reno’s gigantic sex drive is a well-known topic for his partner and, let’s be honest, everyone who’s ever had to put up with the redhead for more than a few minutes. 

"... Guess I could give you a hand on this one." Rude answers, straight-face. 

The joke was easy, yet Reno bursts into his particular genuine and beautiful laugh that echoes through the room. The relaxed, effortless notes of sheer happiness are the liveliest thing Rude has come to witness for those past twenty-four hours.

It sounds like a melody to his ears. Like rays of sunshine making his skin sprinkle with warmth. Like witnessing a delighting, fascinating sunrise after a bleak, mournful night.

It sounds like they’ll always manage, as long as they’re together.

"Aw such a gentleman, yo." Reno smirks, giving him quite the lascivious look under half-lidded eyes, and Rude wonders if his partner ever stops being horny. It’s a rhetorical question, needless to say he knows what the answer is. After all those years, the bald man could even draw a list of the situations where Reno was more susceptible to be lustful, and being kept up in a bed after a near-death experience would certainly rank high. "I’ll hold ya to it."

"I don’t expect you to forget these kinds of things." Rude answers truthfully.

Reno makes an offended noise and comments on how his partner is being  _ rude _ , implying he has a bad memory for things he doesn’t care for -which is only the truth, and they both know it.

They don’t talk much after that as the nurse comes to check on both of them. She doesn’t seem surprised for the least to find Rude has already woken up, changed, and is currently not sitting on his bed. She’s used to having the two men here and stopped trying to order them around quickly enough.

“Mister Tseng asked me to remind you about a report you have to hand over to him.” The nurse simply tells Rude while checking on Reno’s temperature and blood pressure.

Reno gives him a look, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. 

“Too bad I ain’t in shape to write that shit, yo.” It’s utterly sardonic and Rude rolls his eyes in response. “Good luck on this one, partner, writing reports always making me go bonkers.” 

They’ve already decided that Rude should be the one writing the report for this mission -especially for the part explaining how they lost a helicopter belonging to SHINRA-, and anyway, he wouldn’t let Reno write the report. 

The redhead has the worst illegible writing among the employees, no doubt allowed. At first, it was comprehensible, since he only learned how to write when he became an effective TURK. But, as the years went by, he made absolutely no improvement whatsoever as to allow his readers -Tseng and Rufus mostly- to suffer less through the consequent task that was decrypting each fucking word. They all realized at some point that Reno wasn’t keen on improving because he was amazingly _ bored  _ by administrative tasks, and in general everything that didn’t involve fucking or beating the shit out of people.

As such, Rude has taken the habit of rewriting Reno’s reports. They were always pretty short anyway, written as though the hotheaded TURK was giving them a live report, each written sentence punctuated only by a legible -YO. Now, Rude hands both their reports to Tseng, who is silently grateful for his thoughtful gesture.

Anyway, in Tseng’s language, a reminder about the report meant “the sooner, the better” and given his good condition, Rude doesn’t have any excuse to postpone the tedious chore any longer. 

And well, considering the heavy dose of sedation the nurse seems to have given him a few minutes before, Reno will drift back to sleep soon, his eyelids already heavy and falling on his pretty cerulean eyes. 

As much as he tried acting like a tough guy, he’s still pretty beaten up and certainly needs rest.

Rude stands up, wanting to leave without a word so as to not disturb Reno. He’ll come back to the infirmary to check on him later in the day, after having reported to Tseng and being assured that he’s not needed for another task. However, as he turns around to quietly exit the room, he feels a lightweight gripping the bottom of his sleeve. Turning his head slightly, he sees that his partner has raised an arm to catch the end of the cloth. His eyes are already closed but there’s a lazy, appeased smile on his lips. 

A smile that hits different from the usual shit of a grin displayed on this pretty face.

"Than’ you, partner," Reno mumbles.

There’s no need to ask why, yet Rude finds himself thinking he’s being thanked for more than just carrying him back to the helicopter.

The grip on the fabric loosens and the bald man waits a few seconds before answering.

_ Saving you was also about saving myself,  _ Rude thinks.

"...We’ve got each other backs, partner," Rude answers instead.

Quickly, he bends down to place a small peck on Reno’s forehead. He hears Reno mumble something about finally having his affectionate gesture as slumber gains him and Rude shakes his head slightly in disbelief as he exits the room.

If Rude came back to the infirmary earlier carrying the offbeat feelings of guilt and doubt, he leaves feeling none of them. He leaves satisfied with having pressed the button because it means Reno didn’t press it, which means Reno doesn’t get to bear the sinful act and atrocious consequences on his shoulders.

He leaves realizing how important it is - _ especially to him _ \- that Reno stays the same belligerent, hot-headed, sardonic man and that none of those things are as unshakable as everyone is inclined to believe.

He heads towards Tseng’s office still wondering if they really had to do this, but not doubting for one instant that he was the one who had to do it.

However, as he steps before the door, ready to make his presence known, his mind lingers on Reno’s earlier reactions. He reminisces the palpable frustration, the way his eyebrows twitched in confusion and defeat, the unclear and apprehensive sided-looks.

Suddenly, he realizes that Reno may have wanted to do the exact same thing from the start. That back in that helicopter, Reno might have decided he should be the one carrying the burden, at a time where it hadn’t even come across Rude’s mind. That Reno may have wanted to preserve him from an unpleasant task he was more than reluctant to execute in the first place.

Rude shakes his head, a small disheartened smile appearing on his lips for a fraction of a second before he knocks on the door and waits for permission to enter.

They’ll always manage, as long as they’re together.

There’s no doubt about that either.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it !!!
> 
> I'm currently working on something else so more Reno/Rude and Tseng/Rufus to come (im a slow writer tho but im trying rly hard to finish at least another one before the end of the month)
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated !! I'd love reading your thoughts abt this!
> 
> Also my twitter is @Fate_Evance if u wanna talk abt those babies !!


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